A man who is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to killing a hiker in the north Georgia mountains has now been indicted in the death of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap in the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida. Gary Michael Hilton was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and theft related to Dunlap's death.

Dunlap disappeared in December 1, 2007 and her decapitated body was found Dec. 19, 2007 in the National Forest southwest of Tallahassee. In the Georgia case, Meredith Emerson was decapitated, causing investigators to begin looking at similarities in the two cases.

Suspected in North Carolina

Hilton (pictured) is also being investigated in the case of an elderly couple killed while hiking in North Carolina. The body of 84-year-old Irene Bryant was found in November. The skeletal remains of her 80-year-old husband, were found in early February in the Nantahala National Forest near a service road.

Transylvania County Sheriff John Mahoney told reporters that he has enough evidence against Hilton, 61, in the North Carolina case to charge him for capital murder, allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

"There are a lot of people up here that want it to happen," Mahoney said. "We're ready to go." No charges have been filed yet in North Carolina, however.

See Also:
Gary Hilton Indicted In Florida Woman's Murder

Background:
The Gary Michael Hilton Case

Forum:
Discuss The Emerson Case

^{Photo: Mug Shot}